Cool It The Sensible, Natural Way

Sun Herald

Sunday December 9, 1990

IMAGINE a cooling system that cools just like mother nature by using natural breezes.

No CFCs to punch holes in the ozone layer and no big purchase or running costs to punch holes in your budget. And it can easily be installed in existing homes.

The Solarlite Whole House Fan is a cooling system that sensibly stops heat problems BEFORE they start by preventing heat build-up inside the home and roof space by completely changing the air every few minutes.

It uses only 225w of power-that's about two light globes' worth-no CFCs and costs a fraction of fully ducted air-conditioning to purchase and run.

Whole House Fan systems are suitable for any home with a roof space, whether they are single-storey or multi-level.

The system consists of a single, quiet fan installed in the roof space, mounted on the ceiling joists, over a central area of the house such as a hallway or at the top of the stairs.

The ceiling opening beneath the fan is trimmed with a white shutter panel the blades of which open when the fan is on and close when it's off.

Switched on, the large fan blades create a powerful updraught, pulling hot stale air out of living areas up into the roof space.

Cooling currents of fresh air flow in through open windows and doors replacing the outgoing hot air.

The breezes of air cool in exactly the same natural way as a breeze on a summer's day by the windchill effect of moving air on the skin.

The hot air passing through the fan blades displaces the air in the roof space, forcing it to the outside via long, slim vents installed in the eaves or vents in the gable-ends.

Normally the roof space is the main source of unwanted summer heat. On a hot day the sun can generate up to 60,000 BTUs of heat in a typical unventilated roof space, the equivalent heat output of a powerful slow-combustion heater.

Temperatures can reach 55C and more. By keeping roof space air moving, temperatures cannot build.

And there's a bonus. Because the air in your home and roof space is completely changed between 25 and 30 times per hour, heat, odours and fumes that contribute to the "sick building syndrome" are expelled.

There are three sizes of Solarlite Whole House Fan to suit small, medium or large homes. Multiple systems can be used in larger areas.

Whole House Fans can be installed by a home handyperson with an electrical contractor wiring the motor and switch.

The 30-inch system suits an 8/11-square home and costs $1,345, without installation. The 36-inch suits 12-18 squares and costs $1,395 and the largest, the 42-inch system, suits 19-24 squares at a cost of $1,495. Extra eave vents are generally required for the roof so the hot air can be expelled rapidly.

Solarlite Industries can quote to fully install if required, bringing the all up cost to around $2,000 for the largest system, less for smaller sizes.